IMAGINE THE MOON

From January’s Wolf Moon to December’s Cold Moon, a survey of moon monikers.

Each of the 12 moons is given a double-page spread that features a watercolor illustration, a couplet, and a column of text. The name of each month’s moon leads to several lively, informative paragraphs, sometimes directly related to the moon’s name—as with Worm Moon, Sturgeon Moon, and Buck Moon—and sometimes not. For example, the Wolf Moon column segues from the sound of a wolf howling to a short list of songs about the moon, then to a historical note about cosmic microwave background radiation—the “birthday song” of the universe. Had the couplets been strong, they might serve preschool readers as an alternative to these relatively lengthy passages. However, they offer little more than either stumbling near rhymes or smooth banality, as in “Pink Moon / blooms in the April sky, / promises of spring tucked on high.” Most illustrations are far superior to those in the similarly themed Full Moon Lore, by Ellen Wahi and illustrated by Ashley Stewart (2017), despite some awkwardly rendered mammals. The strength of the book lies in the choices and organization of the prose text. Even adults will be charmed by the deft combination of science, mythology, humor, and agricultural facts, though readers will search largely in vain for specific cultural notes as to the individual moons’ names.

Skip the poems and enjoy the cheerful artwork and entertaining prose.